Geographical Indications

Protecting origin-linked names, reputation and commercial value for producers and regional goods.

Himalayan tea and spices arranged over a subtle topographic relief

Legal challenges

A product name tied to a region, such as a tea, a spice or a craft associated with a particular place, can lose its commercial distinctiveness if a producer outside that region uses the same name, and protecting it requires a different legal route than a standard trademark.

How we help

We advise producer groups and regional associations on protecting geographical indications through collective and certification marks, and act against misuse of protected regional names.

A name tied to a place, Ilam tea or Jomsom apple are the examples most often cited, carries commercial value precisely because of that connection, and that value erodes if producers outside the region can use the same name without restriction.

We advise producer groups, cooperatives and regional associations on the routes available to protect a geographical indication, most often through collective or certification marks, on the governance and quality-control terms that make such protection credible, and on action against traders who misuse a protected regional name.

This work sits alongside our trademark and enforcement practice, since a geographical indication is only as strong as the registration behind it and the willingness to act when it is misused.